Over a month and half ago, Amber tagged me for a “seven facts about myself” meme. I was inordinately excited by this first-ever tagging, but the problem was it occurred the day before I went to Paris, which translates into the day before the toe spiralled into hospital-worthy crankiness. In amongst the ensuing anxiety, determination-to-endure, and euphoria that marked my last month of travelling… I maybe forgot about the meme a little bit.

Je suis no longer in Paris. Le sigh.

I remembered about the meme at 2am last night. I had just popped out of bed to open my bedroom door and turn on the lights in the hall, in the hopes that the three enormous moths carrying out an elaborate mating ritual on my ceiling would be attracted to the light and get the dickens out of my room (oh, house-sitting gig, will your joys never end?). Such remembering proved very fortuitous this morning, as I discovered that Simply Life had given me an award (first ever, again!) which also entailed giving a few facts about myself. So here we go*:

1. I love to read. When I was younger, the “naughtiest” thing I’d do was read under the covers with a torch after I’d been tucked into bed. I was also a voracious rereader. I read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books so often that, years later in Year 12, I glanced over at a girl in my class reading Little House in the Big Woods, saw a certain small picture on the page, and said “Oh, that’s the part where Laura climbs a tree with Clarence and wishes she was a boy so that she could wear shiny shoes”. I still remember the gobsmacked look on the girl’s face.

2. I tend to go through phases of being obsessive about a particular snack. Before I went overseas, I would have a bowl of microwaved broad beans every night (which I ate without double-podding). Right now my favourite thing is to roast legumes in the oven until they reach crunchy deliciousness. Chickpeas and kidney beans are pretty good, but I’m in love with roasted lentils.

What's that there? A plate of yum? I think you're right.

3. I miss playing piano and clarinet. I started piano at the age of three and completed my Grade 8 exam in Year 12, and played clarinet from about the age of 10 until the beginning of Year 12. Then uni hit, my piano teacher moved to Mozambique to work at an orphanage, and my music dwindled into the occasional playing-and-singing-to-myself escapism. I’d like to rectify that.

4. The fact I just wrote, rewrote, then deleted.

5. I tend to forget how old I am, and usually have to think about it for a moment when someone asks me my age. I think this is because, all my life, I’ve felt simultaneously older and younger than other people my age.

6. I cross-stitch, and I’m not afraid to admit it. In fact, this could be fun (for me)… why don’t we have a peek at the current state of the one I’m working on, and if anyone’s interested, I could show how it progresses during/after my post-surgery non-movey-movey weeks? Let me know if this is a completely dull idea, though.

It's a little bit scrunched on the left because I don't have an embroidery hoop. Owning an embroidery hoop feels a little too 17th century, even for me.

7. Sparkling mineral water is my beverage of choice. Although very, very occasionally, nothing will do but caffeine-free coke. I blame that on a certain family friend in California – you know who you are.

Detail! So very, very many different shades of blue and purple. I cannot tell you how giddy I was the first day I got to stitch some yellow. It's the little things in life, isn't it?

I know that one is meant to tag other bloggers at the end of a meme/award, but how’s this for a variation: can I tag my readers? I know some of you don’t have blogs, so maybe everyone (blogger or not) could give one or seven fun facts about themselves in the comments? (This would be an awesome time to delurk, too! Wouldn’t it be fun to say hi, silent readers? You know I love you…)

* It was actually a bit tricky to think of these. As Conor once noted, I seem to be pretty candid on this blog, so writing facts like “I enjoy chocolate” or “Sometimes I use too many adjectives” didn’t seem quite cricket.

I will comment on a couple of yours, and in doing so, reveal some Lauren-isms:

1. In my youth, I did not read many books. Instead, I read the same ones over and over. They included: Little House on the Prairie, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women (and all their varying-levels-of-success sequels).

I’m trying to become a better reader. Fortunately, I have discovered I have a 19th century Russian soul, so I am enjoying working my way through Dostoevsky, and then on to Tolstoy and Pushkin!

2. Yum. I look forward to graduation for the kitchen.

5. Yep. I alternate between 35 and 9, I think.

6. I cross-stitched when I was younger. (Did I mention I was really into colonial Williamsburg?) I had a hoop, too. Unfortunately, I was terrible at it, and have never understood knitting.

Oh yes I’m the same when it comes to my age. I always have to do a quick subtraction (after first working out what year we’re in at the moment!). Such a contrast from childhood when you know exactly how old you are on any given day 🙂

Your cross-stitch skills are to be much applauded. I only ever did long-stitch because cross-stitch always seemed so much more intricate. And those hoops do make me think of Pride and Prejudice – but in a wistful way. Now where’s Mr Darcy? lol

I used to do that all the time in high school and think I need to start again. My fiance is in Afghanistan and I get soo anxious and sad right now and I think it would be a good way to take my mind off of things, it is so soothing in a way!

Nonetheless, I am really quite bored and fidgety this evening (heeeeeellooo taper-crazies!). It’s 7:30 and I’m in my PJs thinking of taking myself off to bed very soon, but fear that if I do that, I’ll be wide awake at 4am so I’m refraining.

SO HERE WE GOOOOO:

1) Firstly, to relate this back to yours – i HATE sparkling water. HATE. SO MUCH HATE. Mostly because it brings back horrible memories of choking down that awful bi-carb-y “orange”-flavoured drink for treating THE BIGGEST BITCH of a urinary tract infection when I was little. *shudder*
2) Scarlett Johannson is THE BIGGEST TURN-OFF to me. Something about her absolutely REPULSES me. I know so many people – male, female, straight, gay, whatever – who think she is incredibly beautiful and sexy and whatnot….but *something* about her makes me just recoil in disgust. She completely grosses me out and I have no idea why.
3) I love Vegemite. I love Marmite. But mostly – more than ANYTHINGGGGG? – I love Promite!!!!
4) I thoroughly enjoy the smell of deep-heat, vicks chest rub, listerine, tea tree oil, etc etc..anything almost offensively medicinal, really 😛
5) I was the most retardedly shy little kid. To the point where I couldn’t even go and buy stuff at the canteen at recess, unless my mum was working. But, at the same time, I was HUGELY theatrical, would write and perform plays and dances and songs and musicals and stand-up comedy shows, in the privacy of my bedroom. Unfortunately, the aforementioned shyness meant that I never pursued any of the above, which I really, really regret.
6) All the kids in my family have two middle names: Natalie Marie Irene, Thomas William Rick, Christopher Edward Peter, Elizabeth Charlotte Ann.
[Angus is the only person I know with prissier sounding middle names than my family…Angus Dougal Archibald….BAHAHAHA.]
7) My mother and I once saw a dinosaur while we were walking our dogs around Mt. Taylor. Really. This is a cliff-hanger to make you see me again soon so I can tell you about it/possibly organise a dinosaur-hunting trek.

(please note..while I started writing this last night, it is now about 7:30 AM. i..uh..fell asleep. hooray!)

I used to play the clarinet! Supposedly clarinet players are characteristically uptight, which was an apt description of high school-Theresa. I do miss it sometimes, but I probably wouldn’t play much if I had my clarinet here because I’d be embarrassed about my neighbours hearing.

Also, ditto #5. I was always younger than everyone in my year in school. Now I’m about 20 years younger than most of the other PhD students in my area. But older than the undergrads around. So I feel always too young but also too old.

Lauren: Little Men really didn’t have the same spark, did it? Definitely get onto more of the Russians – Anna Karenina is fantastic. In fact, I wrote my first PhB paper on Tolstoy because of it, and have probably read more of Tolstoy’s diaries and little-known works than most people alive today. I’ve tried to get into knitting a few times, but I find it dull. Maybe one day…

Helen: And how many sleeps until your next birthday! And thanks, though I am following a pattern. Oh, Mr Darcy. I wouldn’t mind one of him.

Simply Life: Thank you for (half) the impetus to write it!

Katie: Thank you! I’m sorry you’re having to feel so worried at the moment 🙁 I think taking up cross-stitch would be a wonderful thing – it forces you to focus and yet at the same time you can talk to people/half-watch tv/listen to music. I’d love to see it if you did get started!

L-Izzle: Yep, I can understand your aversion to sparkling water after that story. I refuse to try Marmite or Promite, love the smell of (pre-burning) tobacco, can’t wait to go on a dinosaur hunt, and next time we see each other I’ll tell you my parents’ double middle names. They kick even Angus’ out of the ballpark.

Theresa: Clarinets represent! I’ve never heard that generalisation, but I must say that the people in my clarinet ensemble were, on the whole, the opposite of uptight. We were pretty lax about practising, if I recall correctly… but somehow our performances always turned out well 😛 Although I do believe it is the one instrument, out of all the instruments in the world, that makes its player look the most stupid…

Kath: Consider yourself tagged and awarded! 🙂 And thank you… maybe I will investigate a hoop then. Might certainly help at my Sunday stitch-n-bitch group when I’m trying to keep the fabric away from the eggs florentine…

Hehe great meme and I know what you mean! I feel everyone knows everything about me, particularly the peculiar stuff that I never know what to write. I get obsessive about snacks too. The last big mania was for Pocky and Japanese Kit Kats which died a death when I realised how hard they were to get here (although a lovely Japanese blogger friend occasionally sends me some hehe)

lovely post – funny how we tell so much about ourselves in blogging and yet there is always more to tell – what interesting beings we must be 🙂 Here are some responses:

I played the piano for many years until I stopped the exams and now I can barely play chopsticks. I love the blues in that cross stitch – not a talent I possess – I still have an unfinished tapestry from when I was a child – obviously was never ready to graduate to cross stitch

Soda water is my beverage of choice – why is sparkling water so much nicer than still! and we used to read in the light from the hall when I was little – even now I sometimes find myself reading at night much later than I should – old habits die hard!

I want to know what 4 is and why you wrote it and why you deleted it – what we share and don’t share is quite fascinating too

OohLookBel: I bought this cross-stitch years ago, but work on it very rarely. Except, of course, when I’m holed up in post-surgery-no-moving-allowed mode! I’d love to see your alphabet 🙂

Lorraine: I got very into crazy Pocky and KitKat flavours when/after visiting my brother in Japan. But somehow they never tasted as good as I wanted them to! The matcha + red bean and the chestnut kitkats were nice, though 🙂

Vaala: Probably not less patience, just more time on my hands at the moment! Funnily enough, this photo is of the lentils that worked less well – I’ve found a different brand that crisps up even more. Honestly, I just drain them, toss in a bit of oil, and roast in the oven (well, the “easy-cook oven”) at around 230C for about twenty minutes. But I’m planning to start soaking/cooking legumes myself and tossing them in spices, too!

Johanna: Yep, we’re endlessly fascinating creatures 🙂 (Humans, I mean, not just bloggers!) I’m scared of losing all my piano ability, must get back into it. Otherwise – chopsticks duet one day? 🙂
For some reason, I don’t know if it’s imagined, but I feel like sparkling water quenches my thirst more than still does? Number 4… maybe one day, but it felt a little too *open* and made me feel a bit too vulnerable to post it. (And I can’t decide on an appropriate emoticon for that…)

A special thing about me is that I have a great daughter. She’s very loving, keeps me on my toes with her intelligence, and entertains me hugely with her blog. What more could a mother ask of a daughter? Oh but wait, I’ve thought of something more – an end to toe stories. Enough already! LOL.

Oh yay! Everyone has me to thank for your super interesting facts! Willing to accept your thanks in the form of baked treats, everyone 😀

Totally with you on #1 and #2, and definitely #5. Feeling simultaneously older and younger than people my age is the PERFECT way to put it.. I think it comes down to being able to relate well with people of many ages, so you end up feeling a little bit like their age whether it be 20 or 40.

I have a strange relationship with sparkling water. I HATED it for many years. It made me think of aspirin, which made me gag horribly trying to swallow. So yeah, not so much sparkling water love. Then, I started trying it with vodka and lime cordial, then could move onto having it with vodka and fresh lime, then was able to handle it without the vodka.

Do you have a Sodastream? My sister does, and there’s nothing quite like making that awesome farty noise with it.

Conor: I like your way of explaining the age thing – I hadn’t thought of it like that. Am rather amused by your using vodka as a vehicle for learning to love sparkling water… I wonder if I could use a similar tactic to get myself to like the combination of chocolate and orange?

Would you believe I’d never even heard of a Sodastream? I kinda want one now.

#1: Thumbs up, my dear, thumbs up.
#2: Roasted lentils? Why, I have never experienced such a thing! I am a bit obsessive about my legumes, I must say.
#3: I played clarinet for several years too when I was younger! I always wished I’d been a lifelong instrument-player of some sort.
What’s up with #4?!
The rest: I can’t sew, or tolerate sparkling water, but I too constantly feel older than the people around me…including my 33-year-old boyfriend. Hmm, telling?

PS—You frightened me momentarily when you said you used to read under the covers with a torch—until I remembered that “torch” is Aussie for “flashlight,” not “large wooden club lit ablaze.” No fire allowed in bed, missy!

Amber: You just made me laugh ridiculously loudly – thank heavens I’m alone in the house! Now I know why my parents always confiscated the box of matches I kept under my pillow… 😛 So far chickpeas, lentils, and kidney beans work well with roasting, butter beans not so much. Next up: cooking and roasting black beans from scratch. Perhaps we could both relearn our instruments and busk our way around Europe?

Yes! It’s brilliant! An international pair of vagabond dueling clarinetists, dressed like prairie pioneers, surviving on chocolate and peanut butter, playing for pennies and roasted legumes. They’ll love us in Russia.

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About

Hannah. Writer, editor, firm believer in socks, gin, laughter, buttered toast, cheesecake, and semicolons. Currently back in Canberra after two years living in Canada; heart tingling to see what happens next.